Bombshell: Ukrainians weigh £m bid to São Paulo for academy gem | OneFootball

São Paulo have received a signal from European football regarding forward Ryan Francisco, 18, considered one of the top prospects to come out of Cotia’s youth academy.

Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine are reportedly willing to formalize an offer of €17 million (approximately R$108 million at the current exchange rate) to sign the player in the next transfer window.

The Ukrainian club have been monitoring the young forward’s performances since last season. Shakhtar’s scouts highlight attributes such as his finishing ability, tactical intelligence in occupying space inside the box, and the competitive maturity he has shown at youth level. The European side see the player as having strong resale potential, in line with their history of investing in young Brazilian talents.

Contractual protection and Morumbi’s strategy

Despite the sizeable figures involved, São Paulo’s board are treating the possibility of a transfer with extreme caution. The club’s football leadership believe Ryan Francisco’s market value is likely to rise substantially as he gets a run of minutes with the senior team under head coach Dorival Júnior.

The São Paulo club’s negotiating position is backed by the striker’s recent contract renewal. The new deal runs until April 2028 and sets a release clause of €100 million (more than R$600 million).

The agreement also included a salary increase and contractual targets that raise the player’s earnings as he progresses within the first-team squad.

Perhaps as a form of protection, Tricolor have decided that Ryan will be reintegrated into the senior squad when the club return to training next Wednesday (17). Since recovering from surgery at the beginning of the year, the forward had been working exclusively with the under-20 squad.

Financial and sporting outlook

Internally, the assessment is that the indicated €17 million would hardly be enough to convince São Paulo to let the centre-forward leave immediately.

Although the revenue is considered significant for the club’s cash flow — as it faces financial constraints — the board believe that the sporting benefits and a future sale point to significantly higher figures.

Any progress in possible talks will depend not only on the financial package, but also on the career plan presented to the player.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.